Xorvintaal

Drow

In many ways, Drow resemble Elves. Drow have obsidian-colored skin and white hair. Rare hair colors include silver and copper-hued. Female drow with blonde hues indicate the Drow in question is of an older age. Elder male Drow have naturally silvering hair. This hair is carefully groomed and cared for by most Drow and worn long with jewelry and other accessories decorating it. Like all Elves, Drow are incapable of growing beards, though many males are fond of long sideburns.

Drow eyes are usually bright red, but some have different colored, often much paler eyes such as brown, black, pink, or gray. Sometimes a drow’s eyes can even be green or blue, which means that that particular Drow has some surface Elven blood in their veins. They usually vary in height from 5’4" – 6’ (1.63 – 1.83 meters), and weigh from 130 – 175 lbs (59 to 79 kg) on average.

Drow have lifespans far beyond those of Humans and comparable with the rest of the Elven race, although usually somewhat longer. This is, of course, presuming the Drow doesn’t meet a premature and violent end, as many often do, but those that survive the trials of their society and the horrors of the Underdark can live for centuries, sometimes as long as 1000 years or more.

Drow are more agile and alluring than most humanoid races and also have many other special abilities that differentiate them from other races. Like all Elves, Drow require no sleep but instead enter a meditative trance throughout which they retain full awareness of their surroundings. This state is half-again more efficient than the way in which most races gain rest. However, many Drow appear to actually sleep because they can not find the peace in themselves to enter this reverie.

The most distinctive feature of Drow, however, is the touch of Lolth upon them. Just as Corellon cursed them and made them vulnerable to light, the Spider Queen gave the Drow a blessing to counteract this, giving the Drow a power over darkness that other races lacked. This power could manifest in several ways. The most common was the ability to shroud enemies in magical, impenetrable darkness, usually called a Globe of Darkness. The other was debilitating charm called faerie fire or darkfire that made a creature an easier target, encasing them in something that looked like purple fire, though causing no harm.